Baseball

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 7, 2015 filer, World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari, right, accompanied by Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh, left, and Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Katsuhiko Kumazaki, speaks to the media at a press conference in Tokyo. For World Baseball Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari, it seems like such a sure home run that he can’t even imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be involved. No wonder the refusal of Major League Baseball and its players' association to send top stars to the Tokyo Games has frustrated Fraccari for years. Now, with the Olympics postponed for a full year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the current MLB season on hold, Fraccari has the unexpected opportunity to make one final pitch to the sport’s biggest league. (AP Photo/Ken Aragaki, File)

ROME (AP) — Baseball. In Japan. At the Olympics. For World Baseball Softball Confederation president Riccardo Fraccari, it seems like such a sure home run that he can’t even imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be involved. No wonder the refusal of Major League Baseball and its players' association...

FILE - In this March 30, 2020, file photo, cars line up at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site in front of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Nobody can say with precise certainty how many coronavirus tests that the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball would need before those leagues can resume playing games. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is willing to be a restart site for professional sports leagues, just like Arizona, when play resumes following shutdowns caused by the new coronavirus. “One thing I am going to do, probably this week, is all professional sports are welcome here for practicing and...

Grounds crew members mow as work continues to keep the Seattle Mariners' field in playing shape as the ballpark goes into its seventh week without baseball played because of the coronavirus outbreak, Monday, May 11, 2020, in Seattle. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball owners have given the go-ahead to making a proposal to the players' union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball did not include an economic proposal during its opening presentation to the players' union on terms to start the coronavirus-delayed season. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker criticized big leaguers for not being willing to cut pay further at a news conference on...

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 28, 2020, file photo, a darkened Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of baseball's National League, sits empty. Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday, May 11, 2020, to making a proposal to the players' union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, a plan that envisions expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has opened the door for professional sports to return to the state. Ducey said on Tuesday that professional sports, including MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL can resume without fans on Saturday. The state is slowly starting to reopen during the ongoing coronavirus...

FILE - In this March 15, 2019, file photo, Buffalo's Dontay Caruthers (22) looks to pass as Central Michigan's Dallas Morgan (23) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference men's tournament in Cleveland. The Mid-American Conference is eliminating postseason tournaments in eight sports, including baseball and softball, and men's and women's basketball are among nine sports that will have postseasons scaled back. The MAC's announced the cost-cutting move Tuesday in response to the financial crisis being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

The Mid-American Conference is eliminating postseason tournaments in eight sports, including baseball and softball, and men's and women's basketball are among nine sports that will have postseasons scaled back. The MAC's announced the cost-cutting move Tuesday in response to the financial crisis...

In an otherwise empty ballpark, a grounds crew member continues to keep the Seattle Mariners' field in playing shape as the ballpark goes into its seventh week without baseball played because of the coronavirus outbreak Monday, May 11, 2020, in Seattle. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball owners have given the go-ahead to making a proposal to the players' union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ The Seattle Mariners have informed its personnel working under uniform employee contracts that certain employees will have a five-month reduction in pay, but there will be no furloughs or layoffs through Oct. 31...

In this April 7, 2020, photo provided by Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, a “Flatten the Curve” banner adorns the 120-foot Big Bat outside Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville, Ky., in an effort to help spread the "stay healthy at home" message and bring down the number of COVID-19 cases. (Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory via AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The manufacturer of Louisville Slugger bats says it put 171 furloughed employees back on the payroll after receiving a loan from a government program aimed at helping small businesses. Hillerich & Bradsby Co. resumed production at its wood bat factory in Louisville on...

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2019, file photo, Washington Nationals' Howie Kendrick hits a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning of Game 7 of the baseball World Series in Houston. To many National League fans, the scribble of “DH” on the lineup card sullies the whole stadium. To lots of American League fans, the sight of a pitcher touching a Louisville Slugger is a total affront to the diamond. No matter, that’s part of the proposal MLB owners are making to the players -- a full-time DH in the National League. This year only. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Before all the self-proclaimed purists forecasting the destruction of baseball strategy and the very sanctity of the sport as we know it go berserk bemoaning the inclusion of a designated hitter in the National League this season, remember this: In a most remarkable October full of huge momentum...

A health official wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant to help reduce the spread the new coronavirus ahead of school reopening in a cafeteria at a high school in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — South Korea reports 27 new coronavirus cases,...

FILE - In this March 21, 2017, file photo, Japan's Hayato Sakamoto makes a catch on a ball hit by United States' Buster Posey during the fourth inning of a semifinal in the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles. The World Baseball Classic will be postponed from 2021 to 2023 because of the new coronavirus, a person familiar with the planning tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, May 11, 2020, because no announcement had been made. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Baseball Classic will be postponed from 2021 to 2023 because of the new coronavirus, a person familiar with the planning tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because no announcement had been made. The decision, first reported by...